Street Fighter IV: Then and Now

By: Luke Anderson, GameSpot UK - Posted on March 20, 2009

Capcom's iconic fighting franchise made its Xbox 360 debut through the Xbox Live Arcade port of Street Fighter II Turbo Hyper Fighting back in August 2006. While the game was a good re-creation of the orirginal, including authentic animations that remained intact, it was let down by some bland presentation and wasn't as razor sharp as you would expect on a high-definition display.

Capcom then partnered with American comic house Udon Entertainment to re-create Super Street Fighter II Turbo with brand-new HD graphics for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Our review awarded the final product with an outstanding visual design medal, thanks to "gorgeous anime and wicked special effects," combining widescreen, high-definition visuals with characters and environments that had been crisply redrawn with vibrant colours and wonderfully painted textures.

Before SSFIITHDR even made its ways to consoles, however, Capcom dropped the bomb that Street Fighter IV would be coming to arcades in 2008 and later to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PCs. That time has finally come, and with copies flying off the shelves faster than a hundred-foot kick, it's time to see how far the series has come on home consoles. Our review highlighted SFIV's technically and artistically stunning graphics. The cel-shaded character art style, splattered-ink effect, and fast, fluid animation made it a joy to see in action. See how SFIV compares to SFIIHF and SFIITHDR on the Xbox 360 with our graphics comparison. (Note: Though we examined the Xbox 360 versions of SFIV and SSFIITHDR, the PlayStation 3 versions of each are comparable).

Characters

Ken Blanka Chun-Li

Ken

Ken's look hasn't changed much over the years. He still sports a red gi, gloves, and his trademark blonde mullet, but the detail and animations are more fluid than ever. Veins pop out of his biceps, his hair and belt flow gracefully when he moves, and all of his animations look more natural than before.

Blanka

The Brazilian beast has always been one of the most colourful characters in the Street Fighter roster, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Street Fighter IV. Blanka's hair has less of a swept-back look this time. Instead, he has a spiked punk look, and his arms sport thick patches of orange hair instead of stripes. But it's Blanka's animations that really stand out, from his heaving chest and stomach that constantly move with his breathing, to his unpredictable, almost dancelike fighting stance.

Chun-Li

China's most formidable fighter has changed subtly across the three versions, from the baby-blue dress and schoolgirl look of SFIIHF, to a more aggressive-looking Chun-Li in SFIITHDR with a vibrant blue dress, to a mature version in SFIV that illustrates just how graceful and lightning fast her fighting style can be. Details on her headwear and dress embroidery stand out more clearly in SFIV. Most importantly, though, is that fans will be pleased to know that Chunners still has the most powerful thighs of any Street Fighter to date.